


CVRIE-osity

by DaddyFuckinLongLegs



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: F/M, Fingering, First Time, Porn with Feelings, Robot Kink, Slight Canon Divergence, Synths, This isn't fluff because I don't write fluff okay, no-dick nick can still be sexy, robots and their feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-02
Updated: 2019-06-15
Packaged: 2020-04-06 21:54:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19071424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaddyFuckinLongLegs/pseuds/DaddyFuckinLongLegs
Summary: Being a synth is a whole lot squishier than she imagined.





	1. Chapter 1

"Can I... talk to you, for a moment?"  
Nate looked up, lifting his goggles, and settled back on his stool, standing his rifle carefully against the side of the workbench, dropping the file and screwdriver back into the toolbox.  
"Sure." He span the chair to face her. "Everything... okay?  
Curie hummed, her arms held stiffly at her sides.  
"Well... I have, something of a personal matter that I wanted to discuss with you. I am acutely aware that this may not be your personal field of expertise, but you have done so much for me, and I can't help but feel that you will help me find the solution, with no judgement, no matter how uncomfortable the subject.”  
Nate frowned, concerned.   
“Okay... D'you wanna sit down?” He gestured to the sofa, and slid from his seat at the workbench.  
Curie nodded, stepping lightly into the room. She sat solemnly on the worn cushions.  
Nate closed the door softly behind her, lifting a cold mug of coffee from the table and taking a swig as he sat down.  
“So... what's up?”  
She sighed, deeply, and crossed her hands in her lap.  
“You must know how strange and confusing these last few weeks have been for me, no? I am feeling constantly overwhelmed with new processes and experiences. And every time I feel that I understand them, I am confronted with a new confusion! So many complications...”  
She paused, Nate nodded, _go on._  
“I have been resting and “ _taking it easy”_ as you have advised, and I feel far more confident with my new functions... it has been weeks since I have overbalanced on the steps, and I have found eating and drinking a most pleasurable experience now that I properly understand the nature of the palate - those little "Fancy Lad" cakes you gifted me were especially pleasant! But... but there are some small things that I am afraid I will never understand for myself without some further guidance.”  
Nate nodded again, slowly; a sinking in his guts telling him he knew where this was going, and a rogue butterfly in his chest telling him he had no idea how to handle it.  
Curie continued.  
“Monsieur, I am afraid to ask too much of you, but all the same I must ask. You are my friend, and-”  
“Curie, just cut to the chase.” he interjected, kindly but firmly. He took another mouthful of coffee. His palms were starting to sweat.  
“...yes, of course.” she took a soft breath. “What I am meaning to ask is; how does one know when one begins to fall in love?”  
Nate swallowed hard.

 


	2. Chapter 2

Piper lifted the cigarette to her mouth and tapped her foot impatiently.  
“Nat, you're gonna be late!” She yelled over her shoulder, watching the alarm clock ticking, and Curie sitting patiently on the sofa, looking around at nothing in particular, taking in everything in the room.  
“Yeah, yeah, I'm coming.” Nat threw the bathroom door open, hopping over her bedroll and heading for the door. She stopped abruptly, halfway outside, spinning round.  
“Hey Piper? If Mr Zwicky likes this story, and I got all the spellings right, d'you think we could publish it in the paper?”   
Piper smiled and rolled her eyes. “Nat, you're gonna need your own column at this rate. “Nat Wright; saying it how she sees it, setting the world to rights, one sixth grade problem at a time.” We'll see what he says, okay?”  
Nat smiled, pumping her fist in the air in victory, and ran off into the steaming morning of Diamond City, letting the door slam behind her.  
“Such a wonderful child, full of _joie de vivre,_ but so energetic. I wonder how you two are living in such close quarters; It must become quite tiring?”  
Piper smirked, “Full of something, that's for sure. Mostly attitude now she's that age, but I can't say I wasn't the same.”  
  
She gestured to Curie, and took another drag of her cigarette.  
“So... what brings you all the way here? Blue said somethin' about you needing to talk to me, but he wouldn't stick around to say more. He seemed a little...jumpy, like he was avoiding the question. Not really like him.”  
Curie nodded.  
“I have some personal matters on which I require some advice. I fear I have... embarrassed him with my request, and he advised me that you would be a more suitable recipient for my questions.”  
Piper snorted.  
“Blue? Embarrassed? I'd pay good caps to see that. Jeez Curie, what'd'you ask him?”  
She shifted in her seat.  
“Well... as I said, it is something of a personal matter. Since I have... made the transition into this body, I am finding myself full of new thoughts and feelings, all of the time, and I am finding it hard to understand how to... what to... do with them. I have asked him to explain to me the appropriate responses to being, perhaps... in love with someone.”  
Piper mouth fell open. “Wow. Okay.”  
Curie continued.  
“I am feeling so flustered when he is looking at me, and my body begins to increase in temperature when I am near him. I am constantly wishing to be in his presence, and find myself compelled to find even the most menial tasks to complete in his vicinity to achieve this. I am certain that this evidence points to romantic attraction, but I have never before experienced such... _feelings._ ”  


Piper held up her hand. “Wait a second, you said this to Nate? And he told you to speak to me?” She shook her head, looking away. “Spends his days running around breaking hearts across the commonwealth and what? Son of a bitch can't solve his own problems all of a sudden?”  
Curie nodded; “Yes. Wait, no. My apologies, I must be clear; it is not Nate who is making me feel this way – although I have found myself having certain physical reactions to him; when he has helped me dress, for example, sometimes he places his hands on-”  
“Woah, okay, a little too much detail maybe. Not sure I need to hear that.” Piper coughed nervously, swerving the small spike of jealousy in her chest at the thought of his hands on someone else. “Yeah, I think can see why he's gotten all shy about it."  
Curie nodded, hopefully.  
“Do not mistake my feelings; he told me many helpful things and explained much about his experiences with his wife. About how one feels like one has lepidoptera inside one's abdomen, and how one might dream of their beloved even while awake. But here is where I think I have upset him.”  
Curie's face dropped, and Piper sat down beside her.  
“Go on.”  
  
She sighed, and continued.  
“He told me that he and Nora would walk together under the stars, and hold hands, and kiss, and that being with her made his heart feel lighter. He told me that he would drive her to a place by the river and listen to the radio in his car, and that sometimes, when there was no-one around they would make love there. His words were so sweet, and he described such happiness.”  
“So what happened?” Piper asked softly. Curie took a deep breath, her small shoulders straightening and her chin snapping upwards.  
“Miss Piper, I asked him to show me what it is like to “ _make love”_ to somebody.  
Piper's hand shot to her mouth, stifling an outburst of laughter.  
“Wow, Curie, you just went straight in wi-” her face dropped. “Wait, did he?”  
Curie shook her head, and Piper's jaw unclenched. _Close call, lover-boy,_ she thought.  
“I know that it was wrong of me to ask him like this, but you must understand it is only because I am curious, and unfamiliar with the sensations of this body.”  
Piper stubbed out her cigarette and smiled sympathetically at Curie.  
“So...what exactly did he send you to me for?”

 


	3. Chapter 3

“So did you?”  
Nate recoiled and slammed down his beer on the table, the impact frothing it over the lip of the bottle and spilling it down his shirt.  
“Of course not! What kind of guy d'you think I am?” He patted sorely at the damp patch. “Aw, fuck.”  
Hancock shrugged. “You're a better man than me. Robot or not, I'd take her for a spin.”  
Nate laughed. “Yeah well, you oughtta be at least a _little_ ashamed of yourself.”  
Hancock considered for a moment, rubbing his hand thoughtfully along his chin.  
“Nah.”

He stood, flicking his coat tails behind him, stretched his arms wide and feigned a yawn, and rested one hand on his skinny hip.  
“You comin' to bed?”  
Nate looked around, “What, now? It's not even dark yet.”  
Hancock slipped behind him and ruffled his fingers through Nate's hair. If there was one thing he missed about being a smoothskin, it was this thick, soft, messy shit that you could run your hands through when you were feeling generous, and tug the fuck out of when you weren't. He always did have a soft spot for Nate's stupid pompadour.

He spoke softly as Nate swatted his hand away.  
“Didn't say I was tired, now, did I?”  
“John, people are staring.” Nate stared resolutely at his beer, goosebumps rising over his skin in spite of himself.  
Hancock licked his lips. “Let 'em stare.”  
He leaned forward, almost whispering in Nate's ear, the sweet smell of cheap wine and Jet on his gravelly breath. He pressed his hand to Nate's chest, running his palm over the wet patch of beer, while the other hand swept through his hair again. “And it's funny you should mention it, because I've been having _all_ these _feelings_ that I just don't know what to do with.” He swung his leg over Nate's lap and tried to land himself there, but Nate pushed him off affectionately and laughed.  
“You're a grown-ass man, John Hancock, and you can take care of that yourself.”  
Hancock stood up, hands on hips, crotch inches from Nate's face.  
“Can't blame a ghoul for trying, eh?”

  
He hopped backwards and spun on his heels, sauntering out of the bar. Nate rolled his eyes and finished his beer, jogging after Hancock through the lobby of the Rexford, slapping his ass playfully as he caught up, and slinging an arm round the ghoul's shoulders when he flinched.  
“Come on, you piece'a shit, you're not going to bed. Show me where the party is.”  
Hancock shrugged; “Hey, you're the one with the horny robot girlfriend, you tell me.”  
Nate rolled his eyes heavily. “ _No_ , she is not my girlfriend, and no, she's not... well maybe she _is_ looking for some action, but I'm kinda hoping Piper has talked her through how to handle that alone.”  
Hancock burst into laughter and stopped in his tracks. “Nate, you are _killing_ me. You're telling me sent your robot girlfriend to your nosy reporter girlfriend to learn how to have a good time, and now you're hooking up with _me_?”  
“That is _nothing like_ what I just sai- ah, forget it.”  
“Just promise me,” he stared seriously at Nate, “that if you ever end up invited to that particular party, you'll hit me up as your plus one.”  
Nate laughed.  
“Fuck you, you dirty bastard.”  
Hancock smiled mischievously, running his tongue across his teeth.  
“I was hoping you would, actually.”

 


	4. Chapter 4

Nick's good hand passed Piper the ashtray, his other held his hat gently in his lap.  
“You're really sure you want me involved in all this?”   
He watched Piper smoke, her hands shaking lightly and her face still flushed pink with embarrassment.  
“Nick, I don't know who the hell else to tell about it, and I gotta tell someone. Blue palmed her off on me because “we have more in common” - and this is not what I thought he meant, and boy will I be having words with him when he shows up. I just don't know if-” she waved her hand desperately, “I mean, do you think I did the right thing? Have I done something awful? Am I going mad and imagined this whole thing?” She exhaled heavily and swallowed, staring into the ashtray, “And... you think I should tell him about it?”  
Nick tilted his head, raising his eyebrows.  
"Well; did'ya, y'know, do more than kiss her?”   
Piper's cheeks blossomed red, and she looked at the floor, tugging at her coat.   
“Yeah.” She mumbled, then snapped her head up and frantically explained; “Not, like, a _lot_ , I mean, it wasn't like I was _trying_ to, Nick, she just has no idea about this sort of thing, and I tried to explain but it's reeeally hard to describe, and then she just dropped her pants, and the next thing I knew I was... well, we were... well?!”  
“Mmm.” He stared distantly, his eyes glowing softly in the dim light.  
Piper waved her hand in front of him.”Mmm? Is that all you've got for me?”  
He moved slowly, tugging his tie loose and leaning back in his chair.  
“Hmm.”  
“Nick?! Please?”  
“Hold onto your brahmin for a second, I'm thinking.”

She chewed her lip, impatiently, her stomach sinking. God, she knew she'd made a mistake. Curie had just seemed so helpless, and so determined, and Piper's heart had melted at her small, disappointed voice when she'd tried to say no. And it really had been innocent, at first, trying to just explain that difference between wanting someone to touch you, and, well, wanting someone to  _touch_ you. And how do you even explain how that kind of touch  _feels?_ And then Curie had so many questions, about her body, about Piper's body, about  _Nate's_ body, and sure she understood the biology, but that hardly prepares you for-  


“So.” Nick said suddenly, sitting forward again, brushing the papers on his desk aside. “She's at your place now. Is Nat home?”  
Piper nodded. “She's asleep. I told Curie I was calling out to see Vadim, but she's gotta be expecting me back by now.”  
“Okay. Well, why don't I call round and take her for a drink, see if she wants to talk about it any. Can't hurt to hear how she's feeling. As for Nate;” He stood and perched his hat on, tugging the brim down towards his eyes. “He'll probably just be disappointed you didn't make a holotape.”

 


	5. Chapter 5

“ _Nan-ni shimasho-ka_?”  
Nick eased himself onto the stool at Takahashi's place, nodding to Curie to do the same as the robot puttered softly behind the counter.  
“Sure thing, buddy. We'll take two. Hope all's well with you and yours?”  
“ _Nan-ni shimasho-ka_?”  
“I'm as good as ever; creaking a little here and there, but holding it together. Say, you mind if we drink this here?” He pulled a flask of scotch from his coat, and grabbed a couple of mismatched plastic cups from the bar. “You're welcome to join us for one, if you're not too busy tonight.”  
“ _Nan-ni shimasho-ka_?”  
“Yeah I imagine so. Can't argue with the Bobrovs, after a long day. Too much hustle in there, I'm looking for a quieter spot tonight. Lucky for you, eh?”  
“ _Nan-ni shimasho-ka_?”  
Curie glanced nervously from Nick to the protectron, and back again.   
“Mr. Valentine, you are aware that he is malfunctioning, yes? Are you, also, having trouble with your sensors? I have tried introducing myself numerous times, each with the same result.”  
Nick smiled and tipped his hat. “Just making smalltalk with a good buddy of mine. No one ever really listens to “ _how's your mother?_ ” and “ _seen the weather?_ ” anyway. Hardly makes a difference whether he speaks the language. And he's been here even longer than I have, so I like to check in, every now and again.”  
Curie smiled warmly, sighing a little. “How charming you are, Mr. Valentine. Always, you are _looking out_ for your friends.”

Nick cleared his throat and poured the scotch, quickly and steadily.  
“Speaking of which,” he paused to push the red plastic beaker towards her, “Piper came by earlier. Said you were staying with her, and that you were having some... trouble. How're you doing?”  
Curie's eyes widened, her mouth opened in horror.  
“She told you?! Oh no, oh no, no. This is not good.” She stood up, as though to leave, balling the bottom of her shirt in her hands, then slumped down onto the chair again. Nick patted her gently on the shoulder, smiling sympathetically. He tapped the beaker of scotch with the tip of his skeletal finger, making a pleasant _tink-tink,_ and nudged it towards her again _._   
“Go on, sweetheart, get it off your chest.”  
Curie shivered and looked around anxiously; thankfully the city was almost deserted, a single guard hanging outside the elevator to the mayor's office, Pastor Clements standing quietly outside the chapel, looking at the sky, A breeze whispered through the tin walls, carrying the warm scent of the steaming city nightlife – booze and smoke and hot dirt – and Curie cast her eyes down, taking the beaker in her small hand.  
“It is not so easy for me to tell, Mr. Valentine.”  
He held his hand up, “Nick. Please.”  
She inhaled softly, then spoke quietly, rolling his name gently through her mouth.   
“Yes, _Nick_.”   
His eyes glowed subtly brighter as she said his name like that, a splash of warmth in his chest. He made a note of it in the back of his mind, something to think over later, and she continued.  
“Yes, it is very hard for me to tell, because I still do not know what I should say has happened. This day has been so full of new ideas and sensations, I hardly know where I am to begin.”  
Nick nodded kindly. “Take it from the top, why don't you?”

 


	6. Chapter 6

“...and afterwards, my body felt strange, like electricity passing through where she had put her hands, but warm... and somehow cold at the same time. And I realised that _this_ is the sensation that I have been craving. But there is _still_ something missing.”  
Nick lifted his hat and wiped his brow with his shirtsleeve, eyebrows raised. His cold pulse raced beneath his synthetic skin, internal fans whirring. “That's quite a story, sweetheart.”  
Curie looked at Nick, struggling to meet his eyes, but trying valiantly.  
“I... I am sorry to burden you with this, Mr Val- _Nick,_ but I fear I have made an imposition on two of my closest friends, and all because I am so inexperienced with this feeling of _love_ for someone. I fear I have been too rigorous in my determination to understand this feeling, and I have confused myself even more.”  
Nick tipped his head back and finished his scotch, carefully replacing the beaker on the counter.  
“Well, feelings are messy, grubby things. It's not so easy to keep a hold on them, even for folks who're used to having such a lot of background noise in their skulls. Look at Nate and Piper,” he gestured winding invisible thread around his hand, “...and Hancock. I mean that's gotta be a soupy situation. I keep my nose out of it, mostly, but people can't seem to help coming to me for advice on _love_ and _feelings_ and _heartbreak_. It's in the name, I guess.”  
Curie nodded, and he watched her chest rise and fall, slowly, as she sighed. A pleasant hum through his wires sent an unexpected twitch through his leg, a tiny whoosh of coolant through his rubber veins. _Get it together old man, you're here to look out for her._ He cleared his throat.  
“Mind if I ask, who's the lucky guy? Or gal?”

The look of horror returned to Curie's face. “Oh! I... oh, I am not sure if... but, yes, I should be brave. After all,” she mumbled, “there is no way to learn if one does not try.”  
She lifted her hand and placed it softly on Nick's arm. His eyes traced, uncomprehending, from her small hand, up to her face, her gentle eyes wide, her mouth trembling, and back to her hand. Her hand. On his arm. Her hand.  
“Uhhh...”  
Curie cut him off abruptly, before he'd even formed a sentence, squeezing shut her eyes and speaking rapidly.  
“I know we have not learned so much about each other, and has not been so many weeks since we met, but every time we are close, I feel my heart reaching out to you, like my chest will explode. When others talk of you, I feel myself smiling so brightly, and I wish for your company when I am alone, at night. You are kind, and good-hearted, and handsome even without the repairs to your face-”  
“Gee, thanks.” He brushed away the comment sarcastically, but felt his face heating, and his hand rose to trace the torn edging of his skin.  
“And you have always treated me so... so chivalrously. Not like the others; their teasing is good natured, I know, but I feel so small sometimes, like a child, when they taunt me so. You are always there to lift my spirits."  
She opened her eyes, and looked into his.   
"I hope you can forgive my outburst, but for so long I could not make sense of this feeling. Now I know. I am in love with you, Nick Valentine.”  
He sat, taken aback, silicone heart hammering, fans whirring, processors frantically working over what she said.  
“Sweetheart, I'm just an old bucket of bolts. I don't know what I've even got to offer you.” He shakily poured himself another drink, lifting her hand away from him and placing it gently back in front of her. Her breath hitched, and she went silent.  
“I'm not even a whole man. Just someone else's memories rattling around in this old tin-can skull.” He tapped the side of his head, and lowered his voice. “And, uh, I certainly don't have the... equipment for what you were talking about earlier. Means a lot to me that you told me, but I don't think you know what you're asking for.”  
Curie sniffed, wiping her eyes discreetly, head held high. He reached out and squeezed her shoulder gently. She nodded.  
“You are right, I do not know what I am asking for. Perhaps I am asking for you to love me, perhaps I am asking for something impossible.” She looked into his eyes. “Perhaps I am asking... if you are certain in your decision, perhaps I am asking to kiss you, only once.”  
Nick shook his head, mind racing with conflicting signals. “That sounds like a bad idea.”  
She leaned forward to him, and he held on to her shoulder, bracing her body away from his.  
“Curie, you're making a mistake.”  
“I am tired of no mistakes. Please, let me make just this one.”  
Nick's grip softened, almost involuntarily, and she fell forward to him. Their mouths met, and his sensors fired a million things at once; the taste of scotch on her soft, dry lips, the small weight of her body against his, the warm, slippery memory of a girl he'd loved a hundred years ago, and the empty hollow in his chest where her shape fit into a stranger's heart.

He opened his mouth just a fraction, and muscle memory - from another man's body - took over. He met the tip of her tongue with the flat of his, wrapping his arms around her and closing his eyes, and felt her hot breath warm his cold mouth. She pulled away slowly, and he chased the contact hungrily, catching her lip between his teeth and pushing forward for more.  
“Oh no,” he whispered, surprising himself, “you gotta finish what you started.”  
She sighed happily and pressed her mouth hard against his, grasping the side of his face, stroking softly along the tear in his cheek. His cheek twitched in response, not painful, but a strange tingling of nerves, and he caught her hand gently with his own and brought it down to his shoulder.

“ _Nan-ni shimasho-ka_?”

  
Nick jumped and they shot apart, him gripping his hat, and Curie almost overbalancing her stool as he pushed her suddenly away from him.  
“Ah. Huh, yeah.” He cleared his throat and straightened himself, as Takahashi slid two steaming bowls of ramen onto the counter beside them. “Thanks buddy.”  
Curie adjusted herself carefully back onto her stool, head down, but watching him from the corner of her eyes. Nick glanced around, checking the audience. No-one. Perfect.  
“Hey, Takahashi?” he started, unsure of himself. “Mind if we take these to go?”  
Curie looked up at him, her worry painted plainly across her face.  
“Relax, sweetheart.” Nick murmured. “I just get a little nervous conducting my business in public like this.”  
Takahashi stood wordlessly, engine still puttering, sensors still fizzing quietly.  
“Thanks, we'll be sure to bring the crockery back once we're done.”  
He grasped one bowl with his exposed hand, steam condensing on the metal and sending a stream of coolant to the limb. He nodded to Curie, and she picked up her own bowl, humming quietly at the heat of it. She followed as he stepped gingerly away from the bar, her eyes bright and full of hope, her face still full of cautious confusion, and he smiled at her. _Ah, what the hell. How much can a little company hurt?_  
“Oh, and Takahashi?” He called quietly over his shoulder as Curie stepped beside him, “Keep all... _that_ to yourself. I know what a blabbermouth you are. This town's got enough gossip.”  
The robot was silent for a moment.

“ _Nan-ni shimasho-ka_?”

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the smutty bit...

“Ellie?” Valentine called softly as he slipped through the door. “You still here?”  
Silence.

His stomach churned steadily as he held the door, and beckoned Curie in. She padded quietly inside, her feet brushing softly on the rug by the door, tapping gently on the wooden floor. Everything else was still; not a sound, except the fan huffing softly in the corner of the room, and the hum of the neon light. He could almost hear her heart beating, and he suddenly felt that they were the most human, fragile things in the world. He let the door swing shut behind them, and stood awkwardly, noodles in hand, regarding her with tense, hesitant anticipation, lambent yellow eyes shifting about the room nervously. He plucked her food from Curie's hand, and slid the two bowls onto his desk, his back turned to her, while his mental components whirred and worried over what comes next. He spoke quietly, almost apologetic;  
“Look, I don't really know how this is gonna work, okay? Might not be quite everything you're hoping for.”  
He stepped close to her, stripping off his coat and laying it over the back of a chair, his eyes never leaving her face. She cautiously extended a hand, laying it against his chest, a warm prickle of excitement running through her as she touched him. His body warmed beneath her hand, his eyes glowing softly brighter, and she stepped closer, closing her eyes and resting her face against his neck.  
  
Nick's hands faltered for a second, then wrapped gently around her, one on her waist, one between her shoulder blades, holding her gently. She sighed quietly, her breath hot against his exposed wiring, a damned strange sensation, but one that filled the rest of him with heat too. He leaned back a little, looking down at her, her soft skin, her flushed cheeks, her long eyelashes... She opened her eyes and dug her fingers into the fabric of his shirt, pressing her body against his, and he reached to loosen his tie, unfastening another button of his shirt. Her hand slipped inside his collar, and he bent to kiss her, the frame of his right hand curling around her wrist as she explored the skin of his shoulder, traced her hand along the seam of his panelling. His joints buzzed with sensation, and he flinched pleasantly, a strange, reflexive shudder that rang through his wiring. _Not a bad feeling at all_.  
Curie kissed him deeply, her mouth open in a soft “o”, her tongue feeling across the small ridges of his teeth and the dry warmth of his mouth. She bit playfully at his lip, a little too forcefully, and Nick recoiled, chuckling.  
“Slow down there, doll.”  
She blushed, dropping her eyes to the floor.  
“My apologies. Piper said that... sometimes one can experience pain, and pleasure, in similar ways, but I am not exactly sure how to apply this to...”  
Nick's eyes flared briefly, memories of another couple, another world, flooding through his system. His body flushed with coolant as a wave of physical memory washed over him – nails down the smooth skin of his back, teeth at his throat, jerking hands tugging at a phantom limb. He shivered, and rubbed his lip with his thumb.  
“You gotta go easy on these things. They're sensitive - even mine, hard to believe though that is.” He paused, watching her brow furrow in thought. “Here, lemme show you.”

He pushed his bare hand slowly into her her hair, the metal scraping gently against her scalp, and kissed her open mouth, pulling her lip softly with his teeth, and Curie gasped happily into his mouth.  
“Oh, yes, I see now!” She pulled away for a moment, working something through in her head, then; “Do it again!”  
The corner of Nick's mouth curled into a smile, and he obliged, biting softly at her hot mouth, and feeling her shiver in his hands. He pressed gently at the base of her spine, rubbing the fabric of her shirt against her skin, and she wriggled, lifting her shirt higher over her hips and exposing her torso to his fingers. Her skin felt so incredibly _real_ beneath his hand, and a moment of doubt flooded him. She deserved something better than his second rate, second gen silicone and steel. She was living, breathing, nervous perspiration dampening the small of her back, warm pulse in her throat and wrists and chest...  
  
She reached and tugged his shirt open, shaking the thought from his head with her playful hands on his chest. She studied him carefully, smoothing her hands across his panelling, pressing her fingers beneath his arms and finding a sweet spot of electronic nerves and sending a low, pleasant fizzing sensation through his circuits. She smiled at her discovery, ever the scientist, and he returned the favour, unfastening her shirt quickly and quietly, lowering his mouth to her shoulder as he slid the fabric away from her.  
Their hands moved fast, undressing each other with a mix of curiosity and borrowed instinct, Curie enthralled by the joint of Nick's bare skeletal arm, her small fingers toying with the wires and carefully tightened fixtures, Nick's head racing with an unfamiliar, urgent desire to have her naked and trembling with his body against hers. He stripped her carefully, admiring her small, flat belly and the slight curve of her slim hips, the way the elastic of her panties lifted away from her skin at their peaks. She reached for his belt, worrying it loose and tugging at his pants - he responded quickly, pushed her against the wall, pinning her hands above her head, tracing his good hand down her belly.  
  
“I'd rather leave those on, if it's all the same to you. Not exactly all the man I think I am.”  
Curie looked at him, startled but soft;  
“Of course!”  
“Besides,” His voice rumbled in her ear, as his hand climbed between her breasts, circling gently, “you've got that brand new imagination to play with. Never a better time to try it out, if you ask me.”  
“Ah! Yes... but please, remember that I am not... expectant of anything. I am already so _thrilled_ to be able even to have...” her voice trailed off into a whispering sigh as he pinched softly at her nipple.  
“Does that feel okay?” He looked her in the eye, his hand loosening at her wrists, his expression open, gentle, and she nodded enthusiastically. “If I go too hard, or... you let me know okay?”  
  
She whispered, _yes_ , and let her arms fall around his neck, knocking his hat gently backwards, tilting the brim to the sky, and she laughed happily. He grinned lopsidedly and swept her to him for another kiss, metal fingers pressed to her spine, tiptoeing across her vertebrae, his other hand squeezing gently at her breast, her soft flesh spilling warmly between his fingers. They stumbled backward and his ass hit the desk; he pulled her knee up beside him and let her straddle him on the table, warmth and coolant pooling in his groin. _Goddamn institute, half finishing the job and letting me loose,_ he cursed, his circuitry doing it's best to find something to direct the flow into, his hips grinding up into her. He flushed with the brief memory of his dick, hard in his pants and aching for warmth, above Jenny on their second date. _Goddamn institute_ bastards! C _ouldn't at least let me lose the memories?_

Curie breathed long and slow in his ear, rubbing her mouth against the peeling skin and worn wiring at the side of his face. That strange twanging sensation again, but coupled with her hand on his shoulder, and the warmth in his crotch, it felt like the plucking of strings on a strange, beautiful instrument. His cheek twitched, and Curie kissed a thousand butterflies just below his eye, and down his neck, and across his shoulder, holding his jaw firmly in her small hand. She whispered to him;  
“Please, Nick, I think I would like you to touch me, here...”  
She lifted his hand from her breast, and settled it firmly between her thighs, closing his fingers over her and sighing as the heel of his palm pressed against her clitoris. He laughed softly and spoke close to her face, looking into her eyes.  
“So I guess _this_ is what Piper was teaching you about? Hope I can live up to _that_ demonstration _._ ”  
He moved his hand, shifting the angle, and rubbed his thumb firmly over her clit, small, zig-zag strokes, and let her take in the sensation for a while, watching her face. Slowly, he stretched her panties aside, pressing two fingers carefully against her soft, wet pussy, thinking absently; _down to_ _every tiny detail, she's just as real as can be._ He focused his eyes on her mouth, and pushed gently, his fingers gliding into her, curling back towards him. She flushed brightly, and let out a small, surprised sound.  
“Guess she didn't teach you that one.”  
She shook her head. “No,” she whispered breathlessly, “Miss Piper only explained that this is how one should... ah... use one's... oh, forgive me, it is hard to...”  
  
Nick pushed his fingers higher, grasping her back firmly with his hard, metal fingers, letting her lean back and have more of him, his knuckles grinding pleasantly against his own smooth groin through the fabric of his trousers. She moved her hips firmly against him, mouth trembling open and eyes scrunched shut, one hand on his shoulder, the other at the back of his head. He bent forward and cupped his mouth around her breast, her nipple pressing hard into his dry tongue, his teeth catching gently, then a little harder, and as she moaned, a little harder. Harder still, and she dug her fingers into his neck, thumb catching his exposed wiring making his whole left side twitch and spasm uncomfortably, and again the memory surfaced of nails down his back, teeth at his throat, warmth and wetness and tight pleasure mixing with pain and overstimulation. His skin felt hot, tingling at every movement, the pressure of her grinding against his groin sent waves of thick, cold pleasure through his wires, and he felt his eyes unfocusing, his limbs turning to jelly.

He called out, surprising himself, something between a cough and a moan, a grunt of blunt, unexpected pleasure, and he felt tiny pin-prick nerves needling through his groin, and thighs, and shoulders, the cables and tendons of his belly pulled taught and sharply let go amidst the memory of sticky, white fluid coursing from his dick. _Holy hell, didn't know I could do_ that.  
Curie pressed down hard on him, calling his name, her thighs shaking and chest bobbing, her breasts sheened with sweat and nipples hard and pointed.  
“Nick, _Nick,_ oh, this... something is... I think.”  
He kept his hand working steadily for her, thumb sweeping her clit, fingers firm and gently forceful inside her, and she tensed her hips, bucking upwards and almost off of him, crying out loudly as she came, a long rush of pleasure coursing through her and sending her mind blissfully blank for a few moments. She landed again in his lap, twitching and shivering a little, and he pulled his hand slowly away, stroking the outside of her sensitive vulva, tracing the back of his hand lovingly up and down the inside of her thighs.  
“That feel good, doll?” He asked sweetly, close to her ear, his amber eyes bright and soft as he examined her flushed face.  
“I cannot... explain...” she murmured breathlessly, “it is like... a beam of bright and beautiful light... shining all through the inside of me. Oh, is this how it feels, every time?”  
He smiled, helping her to find her feet on the warm wooden floor.  
“I'm afraid you're asking the wrong guy. But I'm told that if you do it right...”  
He pulled her close to him, embracing her gently, their mouths meeting tenderly.  
_And if this old memory box is worth anything,_ he assured himself, _we sure did do it right._

 


	8. Chapter 8

Piper's eyes darted eagerly from back to back, swiftly examining each person sat at the Power Noodles counter, and with a giddy leap of her heart, spotted Nate, stood by the open fire pit, Codsworth at his side. She jogged over, slipping behind the counter and wrapping her arm around him from behind, pinching his ass lightly. He flinched, cursing, then smiled and swung his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to him.  
“How's my favourite piece of antiquity this morning?” She asked warmly, fingers playing with the collar of his jacket as she nudged her way into the crook of his arm.  
“No comment. I know what you press folks're like.” He kissed her forehead and squeezed her shoulder. “Thought I'd stop by, check in on everything. How're you doing? How's Nat?”  
“Nat's good.” She smiled, untangling herself from his arm, and prodded him sharply in the chest. “Me, on the other hand, I've got a big fat bone to pick with you.”  
His face went blank, then a brief furrow of confusion formed on his brow, replaced swiftly with a guilty, tight lipped blush.  
“Ohh. Right. Yeah. Curie?”  
“Yeah, Curie,” She imitated, “that was some stunt you pulled, thinking you'd just drop her here and I'd run her through the “finer details”. "More in common", isn't that what you said? Coulda given me some kinda warning, at least!” She leaned close and lowered her voice. “Do you _know_ what I had to _do_ for the girl?”  
Nate laughed, still red-faced, and pulled Piper's hips close to his.  
“Maybe you could tell me about it later, when we're-”  
Piper smacked his chest hard with her open hand.  
“No! Absolutely not! Besides, I never kiss and tell.”  
Nate raised his eyebrows. “So you kissed her?”  
“ _Blue!”  
_ He snickered, shrugging his rifle from his shoulder, and kissed her, pulling her face gently up to his. Piper sank into him, her annoyance bubbling away as he held her close, the busy sounds of the market and boiling pots and the soft sputter of engines around her. She pulled her mouth away slowly, looking up at him and shaking her head.  
“One more stunt like this and you better believe I'm gonna tell _everyone_ about that thing with the mutfruit. _Everyone._ ” She prodded him again and he squeezed her hip lovingly. _“"_ Front page headline, “Dark, Dirty Secrets of Pre-war Pervert.” Print a picture and everything.”  
He laughed. “Go ahead. Maybe I'm an exhibitionist.”  
“Maybe you're a _nightmare_.”  
They spent a long moment in silence, grinning goofily at each other, and Nate heard Codsworth exclaim something behind him. He turned his head, watching over his shoulder as Takahashi filled bowls of noodles, intoning his one little snippet of language.  
“ _Nan-ni shimasho-ka.”  
_ A slow, laboured turn as he approached the stove again.  
“Well! I _say_!” Codsworth swooped backwards a little, seemingly in shock.  
“ _Nan-ni shimasho-ka.”  
_ “Pardon my incredulity, but I find that _very_ hard to believe. Are you telling _me_ that..."    
“ _Nan-ni shimasho-ka.”_  
 _“_ No _, surely_ not... and she...? Detective Valentine?”  
The protectron stood silently.  
“Well, I must say, I certainly didn't expect _that_ outcome. I wonder if Master Nate should-”  
“ _Nan-ni shimasho-ka.”  
_ “Oh, dash it all, why did you tell _me_ then?” Codsworth sighed loudly, his mechanical limbs drooping slightly. “I suppose one shall _try_ to keep it to oneself.”   
“ _Nan-ni shimasho-ka.”  
“_Yes, yes, very well. Until next time, then.”  
  
Codsworth drifted back towards Nate and Piper, whistling ostentatiously. Nate and Piper exchanged questioning glances, and Nate called out to him;  
“Hey, Codsworth? Everything alright?”  
“Why yes, of course sir. Is something troubling you?”  
Nate raised a quizzical eyebrow.  
“What the hell was all that?”  
“Hmm? Oh, nothing, sir, just imbibing some of the local flavour.”  
Piper nodded her head. “Gossiping, is what you mean, right?”  
“Oh no, never, ma'am.”  
“What was that you were saying about Nicky Valentine?”  
“Pardon me, ma'am?”  
“You mentioned Nick, just now. What about him?” Nate pressed.  
“Did I?” Codsworth questioned, affecting carelessness. Piper snickered and Nate covered his mouth, laughing.   
“You're a terrible liar.” She narrowed her eyes hungrily, “I'll find out, Codsworth, you know I will. Nothin' stays hidden for long, 'least not while I'm around.”  
Nate had never seen a robot swallow guiltily, or imagined that sheet metal could blush, but he would have put a fair number of caps on saying that that was exactly what Codsworth did next.  
“Please, I do think it would be wiser if we just dropped the subject. I'd rather not discuss it. I'd rather not have _been told_ it, but there we have it.”   
Nate shook his head.  
“Sorry buddy, that's not gonna be an option. C'mere.”   
He beckoned and stepped away, into the alleyway, Codsworth trailing embarrassed behind him; Piper didn't follow. She'd get it out of Nate, for sure. Wouldn't even have to try that hard, if she asked him at _just_ the right moment - a moment that she was sorely looking forward to after the few weeks they'd spent apart. She could almost taste the sweat on his skin, feel his body tense and brace against her, see the look of absolute exasperation and horrified frustration on his face when she pulled away to ask the question... She giggled to herself, feeling her cheeks colour a little. God she was looking forward to that.  
  
Nate came trotting back to her, smug smile plastered across his face. Codsworth floated dejectedly over behind him, muttering about programming and protocols and fairness to a mere housekeeping robot. Nate grinned at her, blue eyes sparkling mischievously. Piper crossed her arms and leaned heavily on one hip.  
“Okay, I'll bite; what'd he say?”  
“Honey,” Nate's voice skipped excitedly, “you are not gonna believe this.”  
  


 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Not much there yet, but I'm over here at: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/daddyfuckinlonglegs if you lot have got any requests, or just want to keep up with my shit.


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